Health care in the Middle East

Sun, shopping and surgery

Can the Gulf attract medical tourists?

COULD the Persian Gulf become the next hot destination for medical tourism? That was one of the questions on the minds of delegates at a health conference this week in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The idea may have legs.

For one thing, medical tourism continues to boom globally despite the downturn. High prices and queues in the over-stretched health systems of the rich world have driven many people to seek hip replacements, plastic surgery and other care in Thailand, India and Costa Rica. Deloitte, a firm of consultants, forecasts that the number of Americans going abroad for care will rise to 1.6m in 2012, up from 750,000 in 2007.

Many medical tourists already come to the gleaming hospitals of Dubai, Abu Dhabi's neighbour. The Dubai government's growth strategy has long depended on attracting foreign workers and tourists, a feat it accomplishes by being more easy-going than its conservative Islamic neighbours. It is a short step from posh resorts to medical tourism. Dubai plans to host a big medical-tourism congress next year.

The UAE as a whole is not doing badly, either. It has secured partnerships with some brand-name health providers. An offshoot of America's Cleveland Clinic, for example, is being built in Abu Dhabi. Yet the UAE's success as a medical hub is likely to hinge not on fancy infrastructure, but on how it handles two big problems.

The first is an epidemic of diabetes. The UAE has the world's second-highest incidence of this debilitating disease. UnitedHealth Group, an American insurer, estimates that 32% of the UAE's adults may have diabetes or pre-diabetes by 2020. Shockingly, perhaps half of those over 50 are diabetic. This is a common ailment in the region. Five of the eight worst-afflicted countries are in the Gulf, thanks to the locals' sweet teeth and reluctance to exercise. Genes may play a role, too.

Gulf citizens have a fair bit of cash, so any Gulf state that develops expertise in treating diabetes should attract medical tourists. Abu Dhabi is trying. A sparkling diabetes centre there, run by Britain's Imperial College, uses the latest in digital medicine. Its sweeping spiral walkway, evocative of New York's Guggenheim museum, leads the patient efficiently around various stations, so waiting is minimised.

Diabetes usually cannot be cured, but it can be controlled. Some analysts think that, by importing both medical and managerial expertise, the UAE could offer first-rate treatment. Oliver Harrison of Abu Dhabi's Health Authority is cautious. His agency's investments are aimed at reversing the exodus of locals going overseas for care, he says. Still, he thinks his country offers lessons for others, for example by showing the value of universal screening. Some say this is too costly, but Abu Dhabi has screened more than 97% of its population, he says, for less than $60 each.

The second problem that UAE health providers must tackle is controlling costs, which are often high. Vishal Bali, head of Fortis Global Healthcare, an Indian hospital chain with pan-Asian operations, says the Gulf has enormous potential as a destination for niche medical travel. But if it is to compete globally, it must avoid the trap that other rich countries have fallen into. Health care in America, for example, has become unaffordable for many because patients want the best of everything and costs are often disguised. The Gulf should learn from India's cheap and cheerful hospital operators, says Mr Bali. Hospitals, like people, are healthier when trim.